


Love's Worth Running To

by AnchorsOutAtSea



Category: The Witcher (TV), The Witcher (TV) RPF
Genre: I promise, Joey and Madeleine are besties, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not beta read we die like Renfri, Only writing this because this fandom is WEAK and WANTING, Slow Burn, They do NOT hookup, they're like platonic soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:02:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22881439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnchorsOutAtSea/pseuds/AnchorsOutAtSea
Summary: Sometimes, life presents you with something you want to run away from.Sometimes, you find something worth running to.
Relationships: Joey Batey/Henry Cavill
Comments: 67
Kudos: 122





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Titled after "Not Yet/Love Run (Reprise)" by The Amazing Devil
> 
> _Love run, love run  
>  For all the things you’ve done  
> Run for all the things that drum  
> Run for all those pages thumbed_
> 
> _Love run, love run  
>  For all the things we wished we’d done  
> Run from all you know that’s coming  
> Run to show that love’s worth running to_

Joey took a deep, calming breath after ending the phone call with his manager. He had stopped breathing (and listening) right around the time that she started listing who he would be acting alongside in _The Witcher_ , and that list of names happened to include Henry fucking Cavill. He would have to call her back later and get more of the details about when he would have to fly out for his involvement in pre-production, since his ability to function as a human being ceased at the name, but for right now he needed to call Madeleine. She always knew what to say, always knew how to lead him to water _and_ make him drink for his own good.

The phone rang a few times and Joey huffed a frustrated sigh, anxiously waiting for his friend to pick up the phone. When she finally did, he was greeted by an annoyed, sleepy sound, but he wasted no time on the subject he needed to get off his chest. “Mother of GOD, Madeleine. I was casted along side _Henry fucking Cavill_.”

Madeleine was quiet for a beat. “Who?” She finally asked sleepily.

He scoffed, but Joey wasn’t sure if she was being serious, only half paying attention, or her lack of interest in Hollywood made her confusion sincere. “Henry Cavill. You know, great, dark hair? Striking blue eyes and a jawline that could cut through glass?” The other end of the line was quiet. Joey sighed again. “He’s _Superman_ , you idiot.”

“Oh!” Madeleine exclaimed. “Well, except that he’s not, darling. He’s just some bloke, Joey. He just _plays_ Superman in movies.”

Joey bit his lip nervously. She was right, of course. She almost always was, except in the exact moments that she wasn't. Even then, it was debatable. "Are you home?" He finally asked.

There was some rustling in the background, most likely the bed sheets. "Of course I'm home. Where else would I be at this hour?"

"It's nearly three in the afternoon." Joey responded with a laugh. "Can I come over?"

"You know you don't have to ask. But bring alcohol."

"So, it's apparently too early to call, but not too early to drink?" Joey couldn't wipe the smile off his face. Madeleine was his favorite human disaster.

"It's never too early to drink. Get your ass over here. And bring rum. And your guitar."

“I just don’t even understand why someone like _him_ would audition for a role like this.” Joey mumbled grumpily, taking a swig of the rum and passing the bottle to Madeleine. He was practically melted into her worn, overused couch while The Smith's hummed quietly in the background. She was giving him a very unimpressed look.

"Why did _you_ audition?”She finally asked, taking a healthy swig of her own. It was a bit pathetic for them to be day drinking straight from the bottle like depressed teenagers when he _got_ a role instead of one of them being turned down for one, but it wasn't completely out of character, and she was humoring him, an all too knowing look in her eyes.

Joey frowned. “I wanted the role. I like the fantasy genre, and _The Witcher_ is one of the most well known fantasy series. When they told me the role was mine, I started reading the books immediately... and they’re brilliant. Of course, I could have done without some of the stereotypical, gruesome content involving what happened to women during that time period, but the story itself, the characters... Andrzej Sapkowski is brilliant.”

Madeleine smiled, like he had finally answered a riddle of hers, and tossed her hair over her shoulder before handing the bottle back to him. “Maybe he feels the same way. Maybe the role intrigued him. Hell, maybe he's a fan of the books."

Shaking his head, Joey snorted. “Are you having a laugh? Yeah. I’m sure he’s a _massive_ nerd. In fact, I'll invite him over to play DnD with our group sometime.”

"Stop being judgmental. You're nervous. You’re freaking yourself out. You’re panicking. He’s a big name and you’ll be acting along side him and it’s scaring you.”

Joey scoffed. There she went again, being right and all knowing, reading him like an open book just waiting to be devoured. Either all their years of friendship had made her fluent in all things Joey, or he was a lot less complicated and complex than he felt in his own head. "It's not exactly that I'm scared... it's just..."

"Overwhelming." She finished for him, swiping the bottle from his hands since he had been babysitting it. "You're not just playing a one and done, small role anymore. You're playing a reoccurring character on a show that's most likely going to do well, on a huge streaming service."

"Two to seven _years_ , Maddie. They asked me if I was prepared to do this for the next two to seven _years_. That's a big commitment." Joey replied softly, the weight of the situation finally sinking in.

Madeleine tilted her head, once again reading him with a smile, and Joey found that best friend or not, she was the absolute worst human he knew. "Commitment always was an issue for you."

"That's bullshit and you know it." He snapped.

She laughed so hard that she ended up having to toss her long, dark hair back over her shoulder again. "Oh, bollocks! You and I both know that you get committed to something and then panic and run for the hills because you'd rather destroy it yourself than wait for the ending to blindside you, and you have no control over it." The bottle was finally empty, and she sat it down on the coffee table. "Thank god that doesn't happen to you when it comes to music. And you shouldn't let it happen to you when it comes to acting. Or people-"

"Madeleine-"

"But that's a lecture we'll revisit at a later time. Life is short, darling. You enjoy acting, and you enjoy music. You're going to get to do both wrapped in one. Except maybe the character you're playing will actually have some talent-"

Joey threw a throw pillow at her face.

  


The first time Joey met Henry, he was shocked by how alarmingly _normal_ the other man was. He knew it was wrong of him to make assumptions and immediately suspect that Henry was some posh Hollywood Star, but it was almost unsettling to find that he acted no different than a random patron that Joey might run into at a bar. He knew Madeleine was right, and that his issue really had nothing at all to do with Henry, and that there was a lot of deep seated issues and anxieties coming to surface and manifesting in odd ways, but he had still expected the other man to be... different. And he had been so wrong in so many ways. They had all been called to a meeting room to discuss the show, and Joey isn’t sure why he’s there. His role in the show isn’t nearly as big as Anya’s or Freya’s, and certainly not as big as Henry’s, but he’s still grateful that everyone working on the show views Jaskier’s role as important enough to want his input. The three other actor's sitting at the table with him were leads, and he felt like Jaskier was a reoccurring character at best. But he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and they hadn't actually asked for his input on anything yet, which was marvelous and had required no pressure on his behalf.  
  


Henry was rambling on about Geralt of Rivia, and at first Joey thought he was being pretentious about the show and his role, but he quickly learned that Henry wasn’t being snooty. He was being _passionate_ , having both read the books and apparently even _played the games_. Joey had burned through the books quickly after accepting the role, but hadn’t bothered with the games, and yet the show runner had to keep reeling Henry back in as he kept getting sidetracked by discussing both. He knew his shit. He knew it like the back of his hand, and he _loved_ it. It wasn't just another role for him. His face completely lit up with each new discussion topic, and his ranting kept the attention away from Joey which was relieving. He had never had a role big enough where his input was going to be taken into consideration.  
  
When it came time for him to discuss Jaskier, Joey was not only unprepared, but was completely unnerved by Henry suddenly turning his full attention on him, head tilted and waiting for him to respond like maybe his opinion actually mattered. “I’m sorry can you repeat that?” He asked Lauren, the showrunner, nervously.  
  
She smiled at him patiently, and he wondered if his nerves were apparent. "I know we're just discussing the scripts for the first two episodes, and you're on in the second, but I wanted to know your thoughts on the characterization, and what Jaskier brings to the table for the show."  
  
Joey took his eyes off of Henry to focus on Lauren, making the question easier to answer. He hadn't realized he had been staring, but he also hadn't expected Henry to actually be interested in his answer. “I know you and I already discussed how the trope of being a womanizer is entirely played out in this day and age. But I took a look at the script, and I don’t think anything needs to be changed. I love the characterization. I love the comedic relief that Jaskier brings to the table, which I think is essential in evening out such a dark story. Maybe it’s that Jaskier was _never_ a womanizer. Maybe he’s just a hopeless romantic, maybe he just falls in love a hundred times a day with everyone and everything. He’s a writer, a poet. He sees things through a different lens, sees beauty and inspiration where other's wouldn't. He sees it in Geralt, in more ways than one. Of course he looks at Geralt and sees a story to be told, and a way to become a successful bard, but he also sees something that no one else sees. He sees Geralt for who he is, a good man, even if other's can't see it." He frowned, looking down at the script. "Even after he punches him." He glanced up at Henry's muscular physic, thinking about actually being punched by him, and he was surprised to see Henry biting his lip to keep from laughing.  
  
"Oh, you're just perfect for this role." Anya butted in with a giggle. "That was so romantically worded."  
  
"I'm not going to lie, I didn't think it was that deep." Freya added, subconsciously twirling a blonde strand of hair around her finger. "But now that you pointed it out, it makes perfect sense. I can't imagine him throwing everything away to follow someone around if he saw them in the same light as everyone else."  
  
Joey felt his face heat up, and when he looked back at Lauren, she was smiling. "Very insightful, Joey. Way to add more depth and dimension to the character. We'll go ahead and break for lunch now, because someone-" she shot a playful look at Henry. "-can't stop talking about their character long enough for us to get any real work done."  
  
Henry feigned a look of innocence and shrugged, and it was oddly endearing on someone who looked so physically fit that he could rip the table in half. Anya and Freya immediately paired off to grab lunch together, and Lauren was immediately in a deep discussion with some of her coworkers, so Joey just awkward stacked all the paperwork in front of him, sent one last glance to Henry, and stood up to leave. He got just outside the meeting room door when he felt someone grab his arm, causing him to jump and turn around.  
  
"Hey." Henry said softly, letting go of his arm. "You actually read the books." He smiled.  
  
"Uh, yeah." Joey replied, quite articulately, thank you very much. "As soon as I accepted the role I started reading them. I devoured the whole series in probably less than three months."  
  
Henry raised a single eyebrow, impressed. "What did you think?"  
  
"I loved them. " Joey responded honestly. "The mythology, both original and borrowed is so... " He laughed. He could write songs with Madeleine on the spot with no hesitation, and suddenly words were failing him."It's just something else, you know? Andrzej Sapkowski created this entire fantasy world and just kept spinning a more and more intricate story with all of these dimensional characters and... I just really don't know how to give it the praise it deserves."

"Oh, no, trust me. I get it." Henry looked rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'm a little obsessed, honestly. The _moment_ there was a rumor circulating that they were going to turn it into a show, I had my manager calling Netflix everyday asking about auditions." He looked back up at Joey, a smile on his face that was almost shy, and Joey wondered how in the hell someone could look like _that_ and ever have a bout of nerves. "I don't think I ever tried so hard to land a role."

"Not even for Superman?" Joey blurted the words out before his brain could process how dumb they sounded. He sounded like a fanboy, and he didn't even like _like_ Superman that much, Batman was far-

"Not even for Superman." Henry reassured him sincerely. "I actually almost missed my call for that role. I was doing a raid in World of Warcraft-" Joey's brain completely shut down. Holy fucking shit. Henry Cavill actually _was_ a nerd. Madeleine would never let him live this down. "-and it's not like you can just pause a raid. It doesn't work that way. I couldn't just leave my guild to fend for themselves." He made a disgusted face. "That would have been awful. Can you imagine trying to explain to your manager that you couldn't accept a role because you were too busy playing WoW?" Joey laughed. He didn't mean to, because he himself playing DnD for Christ's sake, but Henry was just so _normal_. Henry didn't seem upset by him laughing, instead he just smiled and added. "Did you play the Witcher games?"

Oh fuck, this is the part where Henry was going to judge him. "Uh, um, no. I wanted to. But between binging all the books, writing new stuff for my band, touching up on my lute skills-"

"Wait... you _actually_ play the lute?" Henry asked in awe.

Joey could feel his cheeks heating up again. "Well, yes. I'm pretty sure it got me extra points in the audition."

Henry was back to raising one eyebrow, and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Who in god's name plays a _lute_ in 2019?"

Joey immediately puffed up, ready to defend the instrument and explain what a convoluted and beautiful instrument it was until Henry tilted his head with a smile, and Joey realized he was teasing him. He smiled back, glad he didn't get up on his musical soap box too quickly. "I guess someone who was perfect to play a bard."

"I'll give you that. But really, you should play the games."

"What did you play them on?" Joey didn't particularly care what platform Henry used, but he felt compelled to keep the conversation going.

Henry scoffed, pulling a face of distaste. "PC of course."

"Oh god. You're a PC elitist." Joey responded without skipping a beat, making an overly dramatic face, and oh fuck why did he say that? Not everyone got his sense of humor, and Henry probably didn't realize he was joking and-

Henry was laughing, his head thrown back, exposing white, nearly perfect teeth as his eyes crinkled at the corners. "I think I'm going to like you, Joey."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there's any confusion, Madeleine is in The Amazing Devil with Joey.
> 
> I said I was done with RPF and yet... here we are, thanks to some rather encouraging friends that were sad about there being a lack of Joey x Henry fics. Keep in mind that we don't actually know these actors, and that's the beauty of RPF, because I can take absolute creative liberty in giving them the personalities and characteristics that I want, and it can't be considered ooc, which is my biggest pet peeve. With that being said, all personalities and characteristics _are_ based on what little we know of the actors personal lives.


	2. Chapter 2

Joey was completely jetlagged, had a crick in his neck from the plane ride, and was running on enough caffeine that it was probably illegal, but Madeleine had been blowing up his phone for the past few hours, begging him to meet her at their favorite pub. It made sense for him to rest, he only had about a week before he had to be back on a plane, preparing for wardrobe fitting, running lines, and then _filming_ , but The Flying Saucer was one of Joey's favorite spots. It was an absolute dive bar, dimly lit and grimy with questionable bathrooms, but the food was so good it was criminal and the beer was cheap and plentiful. It would also never fail to hold a special place in his heart because it was the first place he and Madeleine had performed music live at, back when The Amazing Devil went by an entirely different name. Madeleine took full advantage of the soft spot he had for the joint, and said that she would be there until late tonight, even if he didn't show up, knowing damn well that he would. Even if he didn't want to partake in the celebration she wanted to have for his return, he couldn't just leave her there by herself when she notoriously got hit on by creeps. It wasn't even that he needed to be there to defend her honor. He just didn't want to bail her out of jail.

After washing his face, brushing his teeth, and throwing on a change of clothes, he was out the door and headed for The Flying Saucer. It was within walking distance and though the night air was biting cold, the lack of wind made it bearable for a stroll. It also gave him time to clear his head. Even though the past two weeks of set up for The Witcher had been nonstop from morning to night, not a single minute of it had _felt_ like work. Everyone was friendly and agreeable, and his cast mates were all warm and welcoming, and oddly found him more funny than weird. In fact, Henry seemed to think he was hilarious. It was so bad that they _may_ have gotten called down a few times by the higher ups. Luckily Henry was charming and soothing, and well, Henry Cavill, and it didn't take a lot for them to forgive and forget. Joey was still reeling over just how much he and Henry had in common. Even when they didn't quite meet eye to eye, they still found something to talk about. Joey would rather play board games than video games, but Henry would rather drink scotch than wine, and yet they both liked their tea exactly the same way. It was just the little things. And it was an absolute relief that Joey actually _enjoyed_ the company of the person he was getting paid to annoy for the next two to seven years, and that he and Henry quickly become friends instead of just coworkers. Even though Freya and Anya would be working with him far less, they were absolutely lovely too. Freya was young but clever, and Anya was goofy and sweet. All of Joey's previous anxieties over accepting the role had felt like they had virtually disappeared.

When Joey finally entered The Flying Saucer, Madeleine was on her tip toes, leaned over the bar, shouting at the owner Tony. There was no malice in her words and a smirk on Tony's face, and Joey couldn't help but smile at how so many people let her get away with murder.

"I'm telling you Tony, you should spruce the place up a bit. I think naming it 'Tequila Mockingbird' is the perfect-"

"For the last time, Madeleine, I'm not changing the name." That was when he noticed Joey approaching and grinned. "There he is! Big Mr. TV show star coming down to kick it with the commoners."

Joey rolled his eyes, but before he could reply, Madeleine was throwing her arms and around his neck and giving him an entirely too dramatic kiss on the cheek. "You're baaack!" She exclaimed excitedly, sloshing her drink everywhere. She wasn't even drunk and was making an absolute mess. Joey laughed at how she would think that was fitting. She turned to Tony. "Beer! Now!" Tony raised an eyebrow at her but was struggling to keep a straight face. She sighed dramatically. "Please and thank you, Tony." Tony raised his hands in defeat and went to fetch Joey's favorite beer on tap. He was a creature of habit, at least in some aspects of his life. Madeleine turned back to him, her red lips in a broad grin. "You know you have to tell me _everything_."

Joey pulled out a bar stool for himself and kicked one closer to Madeleine for her to use. He would've pulled it out for her, but she hated being treated like a lady. "I've pretty much already texted you everything while it was happening." He replied, taking his seat.

"Oh, but I need _details_." She did a little jig before taking her own seat.

Laughing, Joey just took a sip of the beer Tony sat in from of him, nodding his thanks. "Well, drinks are on me tonight. Because you were right."

"I generally am, love. You'll have to be more specific." She responded condescendingly.

"I don't know _how_ you were right about this, but it turns out... Henry Cavill is quite the fucking nerd." Joey took another sip of his beer to hide his smile.

Madeleine clapped her hands together. "I knew it!" She cheered. "No one is that handsome and takes two huge geek roles. What's it like?"

"Well, Henry is really nice and welcoming. It honestly sorta feels like he's taken me under his wing. He's going to be super easy to work with. Can you believe he actually knows what Settlers of Catan is? And he's actually _played_ it. I brought up DnD jokingly and he said he would actually _like_ to play it with me. And when we discussed acting styles and I admitted that I'm not one to always follow the script, he was so supportive and wasn't all... posh and pretentious about it. Oh, and he has excellent taste in tea." Tilting her head, a slow smirk spread across Madeleine's lips. "Oh no. What's that look for?"  
  


"Oh, nothing." She feigned nonchalance. "It's just that I was asking about the general trip, and atmosphere. You know, the vibe of the whole production. But you've only talked about one Mr. Henry Cavill."

"Oh." Joey frowned deeply, realizing she was right. "Everyone was really pleasant. I love the script. I'm not second guessing my choice at all now. Taking this role was definitely the right choice."

"So, no waxing poetic on that. Only Henry." Joey shoved her playfully. He had be _done_ with bullshit for years, and her teasing didn't even make him bat an eye. Madeleine made a face and pitched her voice deeper, mocking him. "Oh Henry is so dreamy with his muscles and his eyes and his his taste in tea-!"

"I talk about someone for two minutes, and you think I want to snog them. How old are you again?"

"Old enough to know you have eyes, and no preference, and Henry is a handsome man."

Joey scrunched up his face. "He's okay. Not really my type."

Madeleine rolled her eyes and motioned for the bartender to pour her another drink, mouthing a thank you when the woman understood. Tony was nowhere to be found, thank god, or he would be in on the whole ordeal too. "You don't have a type. You fall hard and fast for anyone who doesn't think talking about Lord of the Rings is a deal breaker."

Sighing, Joey decided it was better to just not engage with her. "What have you been doing while I've been away?"

"Writing, painting, the usual. You know me, Joey. My story isn't going to be nearly as interesting as yours right now. I do think I finished the song we were working on though. I'll run it by you before you fly off on me again."

"I hate to interrupt." Tony's voice suddenly interrupting them. "But...I may have to ask you two for a favor." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "We were supposed to have a live performance tonight, and the musician cancelled on me just now." His eyes darted around the full pub. "And these people are expecting music. You two aren't too famous to play for us now, are you?"

"Oh, Tony, I couldn't!" Joey immediately blurted out, feeling a sudden shyness spreading in his gut. "I don't have a guitar and we don't have anything planned-"

"One of your guitars is in my car." Madeleine stopped him, a challenging smirk on her lips.

"You _drove_?" Joey gaped at her. "You _hate_ driving. And you're drinking."

She shrugged. "And your apartment is just down the street. I needed to get your guitar back to you, and I didn't feel like hauling it on the bus. One song Joey. We can't let The Flying Saucer suffer just because you're on your way to being famous now."

Joey just sighed, already defeated, and she knew it because she was looking at him lovingly, always appreciative that he let her push him in positive ways. "'New York Torch Song' and that's it. I do have to sleep at some point tonight, and we have a lot to work on with the new album before I leave again next week."

"Then it's settled.We do 'New York Torch Song', get hopelessly drunk, pass out at your place, and then work on the album tomorrow." She hopped off her bar stool and rubbed her hands together, and god, she needed to be cast as an evil villain in something.

"Give me your keys. I'll get the guitar." He said with another heavy sigh.

Hopelessly drunk was not an understatement. Joey had lost count of the beers he had, and had long since stopped paying attention to how many drinks Madeleine had, but knew she had matched him drink for drink since he showed up. The audience had loved their performance, and it had apparently made a very pretty redhead become completely smitten with Joey, based on how she was leaning into the conversation and batting her eyelashes, smiling seductively. Joey had no real interest, but she actually was quite interesting, and _interested_ , and it had been awhile...

"Oh darling, you're wasting your time." Madeleine's voice interrupted the redhead, and based on the way she glared at Madeleine, she was not happy about it. "You can bat your eyelashes and laugh at everything he says-" She placed her hand over her heart dramatically. "But the reality of the situation is that this poor man is completely and irrevocably in love with the actor Henry Cavill."

The redhead- and god, Joey should have paid attention to her name- looked back and forth between them in confusion, completely unaware that Joey was an actor. "Who isn't?" Her eye widened in a sudden realization before resting on Joey. "OH! You're gay! I'm so sorry-"

"I'm not gay, she's just-"

"I feel like such an idiot!" She laughed, pinching the bridge of her nose for a second. "I'm sorry to have bothered you." She said to Joey earnestly, getting up and walking away. Madeleine immediately plopped down in her seat smugly.

"Way to be a cockblock." Joey griped, finishing off his drink.

"Don't give me that look. That was hilarious. Besides, even if you weren't too drunk to keep it up, I'm not sleeping on your couch while you plow some stranger." Madeleine fished a cherry out of her own empty glass, using her teeth the pull it off the stem and sitting the glass on the bar. "And you suck at hookups."

Joey scoffed. "I don't suck at hookups."

Madeleine rolled her eyes before leveling him with a look. "Oh please."

Joey didn't bother arguing. There were... a _few_ times when he had tried to get someone's number after a roll in the sheets and had been disappointed to find that the person had no interest in speaking to him again. But all those times he had been interested in _more_. Now, he wasn't. He just wanted to focus on his career and his music, but every time he insisted on that, Madeleine didn't believe a word of it and told him to save his angst for their music and his dramatics for his roles. "Ready to call it a night?" He asked, when he noticed she was eyeballing her empty drink, probably debating on just how bad of an idea it was to order another one.  
  
Madeleine looked down at her phone, checking the time. "I guess now is just a good of time as any."  
  
They got up and that was the exact moment that Joey realized _just_ how drunk he was, swaying slightly when he leaned down to grab his guitar. He giggled, shaking his head and righting himself. Thank god his apartment wasn't far. Tony stopped them at the door to give them each a hug and thank them, promising that next time, drinks would be free of charge. Joey and Madeleine both insisted it was fine, and it was. Tony had let them perform at The Flying Saucer all those years ago without even knowing them or having heard their music before. He would never owe them anything.  
  
Once outside, Joey slung his guitar on using the strap, hoping the lack of having to hold the instrument would help him walk a little straighter, and he laughed when he saw Madeleine stumble. She wasn't fairing much better. They walked in companionable silence for awhile before she finally complained.  
  
"I thought your apartment was right down the street." She whined.  
  
"You're the one that said that. It's never been right down the street. It's always been a few blocks away." Joey started strumming his guitar, no song in particular, it was just hard not to with it right there, so close. Music came as easily to him as breathing did, and Madeleine hummed happily, always on the same page. As they passed by an alley, a cat shot past them and paused a few feet away, narrowing it's eyes and hunching close to the ground, suspicious that it had been disturbed.  
  
"Awww, kittyyy." Madeleine muttered excited, crouching down with grace someone so drunk shouldn't have. She reached her hand out and called to the cat, trying to get it to trust her and come closer. Joey kept strumming, and then started singing some dumb words that came to mind about a stray cat disturbed by two drunken vagrants. "Are you... serenading the cat?" Madeleine asked, looking back over her shoulder.  
  
"Yeah." Joey replied with a laugh. The cat wasn't impressed, and darted away as soon as they were distracted. Madeleine started laughing so hard that she tumbled over and Joey had to help her up so they could continue their journey back to the apartment. It took them stopping several more times, once for Joey to serenade a lamppost, before they finally stumbled through the apartment door, laughing at how one of Joey's neighbors was beating on the wall and telling them to quiet down. Joey dropped his guitar off on the couch and stripped his jacket and scarf, kicking his shoes off as he made his way to his bed. He tossed himself on the mattress on his stomach unceremoniously, humming in discomfort as the world spun a little. He felt the bed shift as Madeleine crawled in next to him, and with a lot of effort, forced himself to role over. "You're going to complain tomorrow about not taking your makeup off."  
  
Madeleine had already pulled the sheets up to her chin, her eyes closed. "I don't feel like it."  
  
Joey frowned, rolling over to face her and shaking her shoulder. "You're going to get bright red lipstick on my sheets. And you're washing them."  
  
She smiled and finally opened her eyes, rolling over to face him too. "If I get makeup on your sheets, I'll do _all_ your laundry. Hey, you know I've just been teasing you all night about Henry, right? I'm glad you're happy you accepted the role. I think this will be really good for you."  
  
Laughing, Joey rolled back over on his back, sliding one of his legs to dangle off the side of the bed and plant his foot on the ground. It helped with the spinning. "I know. You're just being... you." Madeleine was the exact opposite of him, but at the same time they were somehow carbon copies of one another. He closed his eyes, feeling his body relax now that the world was no longer tilting on it's axis.  
  
Madeleine hummed, shifting a little closer to steal some of his body warmth. "He is quite good looking though."  
  
Joey smiled, keeping his eyes closed. "Yeah. He is." He finally admitted sleepily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Flying Saucer is most likely not a real pub in the UK, but if it is... whoops. Just an idea based on all my favorite hole-in-the-wall dive bars. and the name seemed hipster enough to fit a place that Joey and Madeleine would hangout at. 
> 
> I know I use a lot of italics. But these a theater nerds were talking about. I was a theater nerd. We're a little dramatic, okay?
> 
> I _am_ still working on both my Witcher fics as well, I'm just taking inspiration where it strikes.


	3. Chapter 3

Joey couldn't stop laughing. He had tears streaming down his face, and he was doubled over, his ribs aching as he gasped for breath, and he couldn't _stop_. And it was all because _Henry_ couldn't stop laughing.

Wardrobe had had his measurements for awhile, and completed the first costume for Jaskier to see how they felt about it once Joey tried it on. The costume was fine in and of itself (it did nothing for his ass in comparison to Henry's, but that wasn't a real argument, more of an envy on Joey's part), even though a few people were insisting that it be even more elaborate and colorful. No, the costume was fine. The issue lied with the hat. Jaskier, or as Henry kept having to stop himself from saying, Dandelion, was well known for his over the top clothing and feathered hats. And when Henry heard that they were doing Joey's fitting, he insisted on being there. When Joey first stepped out, Henry just grinned, his eyes scanning over the design. He was one of the people that thought the costume should be a little more... embellished, but it got his seal of approval. He told Joey that it really brought out the blue in his eyes and Joey sent him a faux embarrassed look, telling him he could borrow it if he wanted to.

Then, Joey put on the hat.

And that's when Henry started laughing. Joey _knew_ he looked ridiculous, but wasn't that part of the appeal of a bard? He looked in the mirror, realizing the hat was making his hair poof out, and okay... so maybe he looked more ridiculous that he initially thought. He adjusted the hat, but it only made his hair stick out further, and Henry started _losing_ it. He was leaned over in the chair he was sitting in, laughing hysterically, which made Joey start laughing, and before they knew it, they were both laughing so hard that the two ladies in wardrobe were exchanging confused, albeit annoyed looks.

"Please." Henry gasped, holding his side. "Please keep the hat."

"If that's going to be the audience's reaction, absolutely not." Lauren said, crossing her arms and glaring at Henry with no real bite.

"You have to!" Henry exclaimed, finally taking his eyes off of Joey. "Where's the casting director? I have to shake her hand- no, I have to hug her- because he's _perfect_ , Lauren. Look at him."

Lauren sighed, glancing over at Joey. He shot her a dazzling smile and winked, all false bravado because he really wasn't liking the way she was looking at him, and she smiled. "You're right, Henry." She said, not taking her eyes off of Joey. "But no hat. Maybe later on, with a different design. But for now, no hat. It'll take away from his facial expressions too much. Perhaps once his character is more established, we'll revisit the hat idea."

Henry stood up, immediately invading Joey's space, and god, Joey was going to have to ask him what cologne he wore because he smelled _amazing_ , and was adjusting the hat himself, paying no mind to the fact that he had to run his hair through Joey's hair first to get the strands to lay flat. Joey forced away the shiver that started from his hair being played with and watched Henry, but the other man was solely focused on his hair. Oh, he absolutely was _not_ telling Madeleine about this. "See?" Henry said, when he was finally satisfied with where all the hair and hat rested. "It's not so bad." Joey began to pose dramatically, because he was nervous with everyone's eyes on him, and that's when Henry started laughing again. And he started laughing again. And Lauren threw up her hands and left the wardrobe trailer, soon followed by both the wardrobe workers who were entirely done with their shit. Within moments they were both crying and gasping for breath, holding on to each other just to remain standing. Joey was convinced that playing Jaskier would be his favorite role yet.

  


Two hours later, with his guitar in his lap, an open notebook next him, and a pen dangling out of his mouth, Joey's stomach growled. He sat everything down, standing up and checking his phone, to find a text from Madeleine.

_'I know you, probably too well. You probably haven't eaten all day, so I'm texting you to remind you to eat. Don't get too wrapped up in filming and writing to take care of yourself. Miss you already, you bastard. :)'_

Joey laughed. If there was one thing Madeleine got right, it was that she knew him far too well. He stretched, relieving some of the stress in his muscles from sitting in the same position for too long, and left his trailer to see if he could find the food truck he had seen earlier. He spotted the truck, but one of the interns caught his attention.

"Hey, Mr. Batey-" Joey inwardly cringed. "-I hate to ask, man, but have you seen Mr. Cavill?"

"Not recently, no." Joey answered, shoving his hands in his pockets."And please, just call me Joey. Did you need something?"

The intern smiled, and Joey felt bad for not having learned his name yet. "Not really. I was just going to give him a heads up that they approved for him to be able to ride the horses early tomorrow. It's fine, I'll just grab him from his trailer in the morning and let him know. I would stop by now, but... you know." He shrugged his shoulders to motion towards the coffee he was carrying. "Thanks, Mr- thanks, Joey." He adjusted his tray of coffee and gave a little wave and walked away, almost making Joey snicker at the stereotype of a coffee laden intern.

"Horses?" He mumbled to himself. Henry just rode the horses in his down time? He took a few more steps towards the food truck, but Henry's trailer was within sight. There as always the chance that Henry wasn't inside, but if he was, maybe he was hungry too? That was the only convincing that Joey needed for himself to turn and head for Henry's trailer instead.

He knocked on the door, entirely convincing himself that Henry was probably already sick of him by now, but heard a cheerful "Come in!" and pulled the door open just as he heard. "Kal, no!" and very suddenly, Joey was flat on his back with a face full of fur. "Oh shit, Kal, _come here_."

"You have a bear?!" Joey wasn't sure why the words came out of his mouth, because it was obviously a huge dog, but it made Henry laugh, so he was only minimally embarrassed.

Henry appeared above him, a huge grin on his face and he pulled at Kal's collar until the dog was finally off of him. He offered a hand and helped Joey up. "Not quite. This is Kal, my dog. He's an American Akita." Joey crouched down, rubbing the dog's massive, fluffy head. Kal's tail wagged happily and he nuzzled into the touch, making Joey smile. "Alright, Kal. Inside." Henry ordered. Kal whined, giving Joey one last forlorn glance before bounding back in the trailer. "Sorry about that." Henry said, looking after his dog lovingly. "He's usually better behaved than that, but he gets really excited when he meets new people. Wanna come inside? Or, did you need something...?"

Joey had been completely distracted by the dog situation, and it was impolite to ignore someone, but he just realized... Henry was wearing Geralt's fucking _armor_. His eyes traced over the armor, his mouth agape, and he couldn't stop himself from asking. "Is there a particular reason why you're in your _armor_ right now?"

Henry chuckled nervously, his cheeks coloring a bit. "Um, so in the first episode, two people mention to Geralt that he needs new clothes. And when I first tried on the armor, it was just so stiff... and new looking... I thought it made sense to break it in. Make it look more worn. No one is going to be making fun of him for brand new, shiny armor that looks like it's never seen a single fight."

"That is ah-mazing!" Joey said laughing, enunciating the word because he was truly thrilled by how clever the idea was. "God, I would have never thought about that. That's brilliant." Henry just stared at him expectantly, and Joey realized he still hadn't answered his question. "Oh, uh, I was just trying to see if you were hungry? Also one of the interns said something about the horses being ready in the morning... or something like that."

"Oh yeah, that's great! And I actually just ordered pizza." He opened his trailer door again, seeing as it had swung shut when Kal rubbed against it on his way in. "I don't know how you like your pizza, but you're welcome to as much of it as you want. My nutritionist would kill me if I ate the whole thing." He motioned Joey inside, and with an invitation like pizza, it's not like he could say no.

Henry's trailer was _super_ nice, but Joey wasn't surprised seeing as how he was the star of the show, and the biggest name on the production. Kal was sniffing at the pizza box, and Henry slid past Joey to bat the fur ball away, flopping down and gesturing for Joey to take a seat on the couch next to him that Kal wasn't occupying.

"Good lord Kal, you're supposed to be behaved when we have company. Actually, before you take a seat, you might want to wash your hands. He's filthy. I haven't been able to bathe him with how hectic things are." Henry made his way over to the sink and Joey followed suit, the space not even the least bit cramped. Even though it didn't matter in the least, he was suddenly a little self conscious of just how small his trailer was, and was yet again reminded of the fact that he was in the presence of a star big enough to be a household name.

"So, uh, you, uh, ride the horses?" He asked dumbly, soaping up his hands while Henry towel dried his own.

Henry grabbed some plates from a cabinet and snapped at Kal, who was once again getting brave and sniffing around the pizza box. "Yeah, I have some experience with horses, but not enough so that I felt like it looked organic if I road one. Geralt has been riding horses around The Continent for _decades_ , there's going to be a sort of ease and comfort to riding that I won't exactly be able to fake. I don't want to look stiff and inexperienced on camera." He handed Joey a plate just as his finished drying his hands and then opened the pizza box and plopped two huge slices on his own plate. Elbowing Kal off the couch, he sat down with a relaxed sigh.

"You take this role very seriously." Joey commented, grabbing a slice of his own. He would probably go for more later, but the sudden memory of realizing what a big deal the man he was in the presence of had made him lose some of his appetite. He internally chastised himself for being so starstruck and dismissed it as jitters because they were going to start filming soon.

Henry raised an eyebrow at him as he sat down, a blank expression on his face. "I take all my roles seriously, Joey." Joey gaped at him for a second, lost for words, but then Henry started laughing. "I'm kidding. Do I need to go borrow the bard hat so you'll relax?" Joey chuckled nervously, and Henry smiled. "I do take all my roles seriously, for the most part. But this one is different. I've been a fan of The Witcher for so long that I've set certain expectations for myself. Nothing unrealistic, of course. I know I won't be able to please everyone, but if I can walk away from this feeling pleased with myself, I think it's a job well done." Joey took a bite of his pizza and nodded. It made... perfect sense. It was one of the most logical things he had ever heard an actor say, had ever heard _anyone_ say. "That would probably make more sense to you if you would have played the games." Henry teased.

Joey snorted, nearly choking on his pizza. He coughed and Kal whined, walking over and putting his massive fluffy head on Joey's knee. "Jesus. I promise you that one day I'll get around to playing the games."

"We're about to start filming, and I don't think you realize how long these games are. You're a little late."

"Better late than never." Joey said, waving his hand dismissively. Henry really did have him interested in the games, but he was right, he didn't exactly have a lot of time to invest in it right now. Kal whined again, his tail wagging. Henry shot him a stern look, but Joey had already figured out that the dog had Henry completely wrapped around his finger. Or paw. Whatever. "You would also probably judge me because I have nothing to play it on. I've been too invested in my music and DnD the past couple of years and can't remember the last time I bought a console. And I definitely don't have room for something like an Alienware in my apartment."

This time it was Henry's turn to choke on his pizza, and he was looking at Joey like he had just insulted his most beloved family member. "Alienware?! Oh god, I have so much to teach you. They're not _bad_ gaming PCs exactly, but they're certainly not the best despite the name being so popular. No, no, no, dear Joey, if you're going to be serious about gaming, you _build_ your own gaming PC, or at least get someone else to. Otherwise you end up spending so much money on upgrading-" Henry must have picked up on Joey's confusion. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

Joey shrugged. "It's okay. It doesn't mean I'm not interested, and if I started talking about Dungeons and Dragons you would probably be easily just as confused."

Finishing off the last of his first slice, Henry's eyes lit up. He swallowed and asked "That's right. I still want to play that. What do you play as? Like your species, or race, or whatever they call them."

Joey's face lit up. Now this is a topic he could get behind. "None of them. I'm the dungeon master. I'm the one in charge."

Henry smirked. "Only because you haven't played with me."

Swallowing, Joey felt his face heat up. He knew he was looking too much into it, but the way Henry said it sounded incredibly flirty, and Henry was holding eye contact and his smirk wasn't dropping and-

Joey felt his plate dip in his lap as Kal snatched his pizza off his plate.

"Dammit, Kal!" Henry barked. "Bed! Now." Kal whimpered, his head dropping as he took his stolen pizza slice over to a dog bed in the corner. "Let me get you a new plate." Henry added, sighing. He went to stand up, but Joey held him back by the shoulder gently. "There's no need to be so formal. I think we're both easily capable of eating straight from the box." Henry laughed agreeably and grabbed Joey's plate, stacking it on top of his own after grabbing his second slice off of it and sitting them to the side. He sit the box in between them and smiled at Joey, and Joey said something really dumb. "See? I'm an easy date." And okay, that was _definitely_ flirting, or at least a poor attempt at so on his part.

"I can see that." Henry replied, clearly thinking it was just banter. "Might have to ask you out again. Generally the people I date are a lot more complicated."

Joey was really glad that his phone pinged before he could reply, because he had no idea what to say and he was _sweating_ and _god dammit_ Madeleine might be right about him having a crush. And of course, speak of the devil, the text was from her.

"Someone must be missing you back at home." Henry muttered curiously.

"My best friend. She knows I get really wrapped up in projects I'm working on and forget to take care of myself. She texted me earlier to check in on me and I never replied. So naturally, she's assuming I died."

Biting his lip, Henry tried to stop himself from laughing. "Speaking of projects, I looked up your band."

"You... what?" Joey squeaked.

Henry rolled his eyes. "Don't look so shocked. I was curious after you mentioned it, and when you Google your name, it wasn't hard to find."

"Oh god, the stuff you found is so _old_ now, what we're working on now is going to be so much better-"

"I liked it." Henry interrupted.

"...you did?"

"I did. It was interesting. Google labels it as folk music, but I don't know... it's just different. I can definitely see where folk would come in, there were times when it reminded me of Mumford and Sons, and times where it even reminded me of the Renaissance era too, but there was also something... more. Almost like a bit of The Smiths was mixed in there, and then a sound that was completely unique and purely a sound that your band created."

Joey's brain had completely went off line. Completely and totally misfired and now was so fried that he was pretty sure there was smoke come out of his ears. Henry hadn't just listened to The Amazing Devil, he had _listened_. And he had made a comparison to The Smiths, which that in and of itself made Joey want to melt into a puddle because he fucking loved The Smiths and while he had never aimed to sound anything like them, and couldn't hear it in his music himself, it was a massive compliment he felt undeserving of.

Henry was staring at him, and tilted his head slightly, eyeing Joey curiously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I- uh, it's just- T-that was a really big compliment. I think I'm still processing it." Joey tripped over his words. Henry smiled softly, warmly, and god was it really hot in his trailer? Joey felt like it was really hot in his trailer.

"You deserve to hear it. You can play a lute, for fucks sake. I still can't wrap my head around that..."

They spent the next two hours sharing the pizza and a few beers (Henry apologized profusely for being a "doofus" and not offering Joey anything to drink earlier), and swapping stories about music, gaming, and Dungeons and Dragons. Joey became more and more relaxed as he was reminded of just how normal Henry was despite his fame, and how the man truly was an absolute nerd trapped in Adonis' body. Joey was still reeling over the way Henry had analyzed his and Madeleine's music, but he was getting a better read on Henry, his sense of humor, his banter, and was once again questioning why he ever thought the other man was intimidating. It was only once it started getting late, the sunlight that had been creeping in Henry's trailer window long gone, that Henry regretfully mentioned how early he had to be up to fitness train and to train with the horses, and Joey was immensely glad that Jaskier's physique wasn't as important as Geralt's.

They said their farewells, and Joey was all smiles as he walked back to his trailer, happy that he got to work alongside someone whose company he truly enjoyed.

A few days later, Joey found a present on the steps of his trailer. On the outside of the plain, brown paper wrapping in boxy but neat handwriting, it simply said:

**To: Joey  
**From: Henry****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God. Please, dear god. If you haven't listened to The Amazing Devil's new album, please do yourself the favor of doing so. I have been listening to it nonstop and I have felt so endlessly inspired by how absolutely beautiful it is. I have gotten so much done artistically, and I really cannot thank Madeleine and Joey enough. It's so rare to find music that's more than a good beat or a catchy chorus. The Horror and the Wild is pure poetry. If you're enjoying this fic, or any of my other Witcher fics, you have The Amazing Devil to thank for your enjoyment.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Having inspiration to write because of The Amazing Devil? It's more likely than you think.

Joey sat on the couch in his trailer, the package unopened in his lap. He had added a small, cheap clock to his trailer, just for the ticking (he hated absolute silence), and the ticks sounded agonizingly slow in comparison to the racing of his beating heart. His phone sat beside him, the screen still lit up from his last attempt to call Madeleine but deciding not to. So yeah, maybe he was a little codependent when it came to her, and he was working on that. He knew she didn't mind.She was a lot more social, a lot more headstrong, and Joey was pretty sure he did more overthinking in a single day than she had in her entire life. It helped balance him out so well that it was calming. But he knew if he called her and was freaking out about a package, then things would be.... too obvious. He knew his crush on Henry was harmless, knew it wouldn't go anywhere, but that didn't mean she would read it the same way, and so he was just going to aim for casual when he finally told her about the package.

Now if only he could get himself to open it.

"Fuck, Joey. Get it together." He mumbled to himself, taking a deep breath and ripping into the paper. Okay, so maybe he very neatly unfolded it, just to stall a little, and was glad he did, because of all the things he was expecting, a PlayStation and a copy of _The Witcher 3_ was certainly not on that list. He immediately shoved the system and game to the side, completely overwhelmed by such an expensive gift. He put his face in his hands and just breathed for a second, forcing himself to think rationally. Sure, the gift was a very expensive, grand gesture. But Henry Cavill also didn't have the income that the average Joe had, and this was probably the same as him buying Joey a cup of coffee. After rationalizing it, and taking a few deep, calming breaths, he felt better, more relaxed. He pulled up some music on his phone and let it play in the background while he opened the PlayStation and game, muttering to himself about how 'back in his day, games had instruction manuals'. But a map of The Continent was still cool as fuck.

He could do this. He was fine. The crush was harmless, nothing would ever come of it, the gift wasn't that expensive in hindsight, and everything in his life was falling in place. He didn't need to let his anxiety take the wheel over every little thing. He set the console and game up, proud of himself for getting his horrific anxiety in check all by himself, and booted up the game. He was going to be fine.

Joey was absolutely not fine. He had not slept, and it was already morning based on the annoying light peaking through his curtains. His phone had went off several times and texts went unanswered. He was in desperate need of a piss, to the point where it actually hurt a little, and his eyes had grown so weary that he had to trade his contacts for his glasses. Not to mention his thumbs were cramping and felt like they were going to fall off. But he could not beat this one fucking contract on the game. He had went and done other quests and rounded back to it, leveling up in the process, but he was still getting his ass kicked by some fucking wraith over and over. He finally had her health bar down low enough that he thought he might have a shot, but his health bar was even lower, and if he could just keep dodging and getting hits in-

His phone rang, causing him to flinch, in it that split second of distraction, the wraith landed in three more hits and he was once again dead. If he saw that message screen one more time, he was throwing the entire PlayStation out the window. He groaned, tossing his control to the floor with a little more vigor than necessary, and picked up the phone.

"So, you're not dead then." Madeleine's voice responded to his gruff, annoyed 'hello'.

"Only on the inside, mom." He bit sarcastically.

Madeleine paused. "...are you okay?"

Sighing, Joey replied. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just stayed up all night playing _The Witcher 3_. I haven't slept and I'm stuck on this one part and it's frustrating as fuck."

"Finally joined the dark side, have you? What, are our board game nights not good enough for you?" Madeleine teased. "Finally had to cave in and buy an actual console so you could game with the big boys? I should have known when you got drunk at Richard's that time and played it that you would eventually get it, especially after landing the role. Shouldn't you be working? Going over lines or something?"

"I've played it at Richard's before? What, no, it was a gift. It would be rude to not, you know, use a gift. And my schedule is really lax today. I just have to do one last reading with Henry later to see how we bounce off of one another again, but that shouldn't take long. You do remember I'm not actually a main character right, just a reoccurring one?"

"Oh, nonsense. Maybe not this season, but you'll steal everyone's hearts and become a fan favorite. I've seen you on stage. Who gave you the gift?"

Joey swallowed, the fingers of the hand no holding his phone fidgeting in his lap. "Henry. Apparently I downright offended him because I haven't played the games. I guess he wanted to change that."

He couldn't see the smile on Madeleine's face, but he could definitely hear it in her voice, and to his relief it wasn't teasing, but genuine. "That's lovely. But you _have_ played it, I'm telling you. We had all been bar hopping that night and you got so wasted and we went back to Richard's and-"

Joey laughed. "Oh yeah, everyone was ready to pass out but I was still wired so Richard just turned on the game and shoved a controller in my hand and told me to be quiet so everyone could sleep. I don't think that counts. I didn't even get past the Kaer Morhen tutorial."

Madeleine giggled. "You couldn't figure out to climb, and it was the tutorial, it was _telling_ you how to-"

"I was drunk!" Joey whined, flopping down on the couch dramatically. Fuck he was tired. "Did you need something?"

"Not really. You just never texted me back last night. Or this morning. Just checking in."

"Oh, sorry. The, uh, game."

Madeline tutted and made her voice as dramatic as possible. "First you don't text me back a couple of nights ago. Then you did it again last night. This role is going to your head. The fame is making you forget me."

"I could never forget you." Joey said with a smile. "Last night I was losing my sanity to gaming, and a couple of nights ago Henry and I shared a couple of beers and some pizza and nerded out. You would like his dog. The adorable fucker is the size of a house."

"Oh you'll have to send me pictures! What kind is it? A boy or a girl? Name?"

Joey closed his eyes and he could just see the excitement on her face in his mind. "His name is Kal. He's uh... an American... something. Akita I think Henry said? Big dog. Really fluffy with tiny eyes. He stole my pizza. But like, you can't be mad at him because he's cute, and I think that's his problem because I'm pretty sure Henry let's him get away with murder. Like one of those dogs that knows when he has to listen, but if he doesn't absolutely have to, he's not going to because he knows he's cute."

"Awww." Madeleine gushed. "Pictures. Don't forget. But you should get some sleep. Make sure you set an alarm, I know you. And even though you've already gotten the role, it doesn't mean that showing up late for a reading won't look bad."

"Mmkay." Joey hummed. If he was being perfectly honest, closing his eyes had been a bad idea because he could already feel himself slipping into that blissful state of half consciousness. "Bye, Maddie. Miss you."

"Miss you too, dumbass." She said fondly before hanging up.

Joey drifted asleep without setting an alarm.

A few hours later, Joey startled awake at the sound of someone knocking on his trailer door. He jerked awake, wiping the drool from his mouth and straightening his glasses before grabbing his phone to see the time, immediately panicking that he had done exactly what Madeleine had told him not to do. He sighed, relieved, when he saw it was still too early for the reading and stood up to answer the door, ignoring his messy hair, wrinkled shirt and sweatpants, and overall just crumpled state.

He opened the door to find Henry, apparently freshly showered, based on his still damp, curling hair and the fact that Joey could _smell_ the scent of body wash clinging to his skin. Henry's face immediately lit up with a lopsided grin. "You haven't slept at all, have you?" He accused, his eyes alight with humor.

Joey rolled his eyes and dragged his fingers through his hair in a poor attempt to tame it. "Like... three hours. Do you, uh, wanna come in? My trailer is a bit more cramped than yours."

"Of fucking course I want to come in." Henry laughed. "I have to see how far you've gotten."

Joey did a grand gesture to motion Henry in, smiling. "Thank you, by the way." He said when Henry came in and immediately plopped down on the couch as if it were his own trailer. Joey internally cringed at the fact that it was the exact spot he had been drooling on.

"It's no problem. You were really missing out. I would have rather you started with the first game, and on PC at that, but I wanted you to be able to at least get a taste of it before we started filming." He looked at the small television screen, smirking at how it was still on the "You Are Dead" screen. He glanced back at Joey, his eyes slowly roaming over his disheveled state. "I like the glasses. They suit you. Sorta take away from your eyes though."

Joey just swallowed. He hated this charming fucker. "Thanks." He muttered, taking a seat next to Henry and trying not to think about how his couch was so small that it forced their thighs to touch, because then he would just think about how _thick_ and muscular Henry's thighs were and-

"So what killed you?" Henry asked, distracting him and picking up the controller off the floor. He handed it to Joey with a smile, clearly encouraging him to give it another try.

"This fucking wraith. She's just too fast." He glared at the tv like it had personally offended him. "She hits me three times for every one strike I can get on her. I'm higher than the suggested level, there's nothing wrong with with my armor or swords- what? Why are you laughing?" Joey asked, looking up to see Henry biting his lip, his shoulders shaking slightly at he effort to keep him laughter quiet.

"You're doing 'Jenny 'O the Woods', aren't you?" Henry asked.

Joey couldn't help but smile. What a fucking nerd. "Yeah, I am. How'd you know?"

"A lot of newbies have trouble with her. Especially if they're not using magic. What spell are you casting?"

Joey looked down sheepishly, his thumbs fidgeting on the controller. "Well, uh... none..."

Henry tilted his head, smiling patiently. "You need to use Yrden and stay in the circle so that she comes to you. Keeping dodging, keep her in the circle, and keep striking when you can. Yrden slows her down so that she can't land as many blows. Try it."

Narrowing his eyes at Henry playfully, Joey resumed the game but tried it Henry's way. He died. Again. But Henry made him try again, and he did a lot better. With his third attempt (at least in Henry's presence) he beat the wraith and got so excited he jumped up off the couch, fist pumping into the air triumphantly. "Take that you old hag." He mocked the game, and Henry busted out laughing. Joey blushed a little and took his seat again, relaxing more in Henry's precence every time they were together. "Do people really have issues with that contract or were you pitying me?"

"A little of both. It can be hard to get used to what spells affect what monsters the best. You need to keep a check on your beastiary, it'll give you hints on how to take down certain creatures."

Nodding, Joey decided to change the subject. "How was waking up at the ass crack of dawn to ride horses and workout?"

"Tiring." Henry replied, and he did sound tired. "The horses are amazing. They're so intelligent and they can pick up on the littlest things. They're also really patient, I'm entirely out of practice. Working out is nothing new. Same shit with slightly different variation. I probably should have waited to take a shower because I have training with the fight choreographer later this afternoon after our reading, but god, I smelled like a barn. You can come if you want. Freya and Anya have already invited themselves. I think Anna has flown in now too, so she'll probably be there. I don't believe you've met her yet. I don't know why they're insisting on watching, none of them will even be in the Blaviken Market scene."

Joey snorted. "Really? You have no clue why they want to watch you flexing and swinging around a sword?"

Henry laughed. "I figured they just wanted an excuse to tease me. I get..really into the role. You haven't really seen it yet because I don't get _fully_ into character during readings, but when I'm training... it's hard not to just become Geralt. Anya saw it while walking by one day, who then told Freya, who I'm pretty sure told half the cast and crew."

Rolling his eyes, Joey teased "I'm sure it's all about making fun of you and has nothing to do with watching you get all sweaty and badass and intimidating. You're a piece of work, Henry. Do you even know who you are? How people see you?"

Henry scanned Joey's face thoughtfully. "I realize who I am. I'm not always sure of how people see me. How do _you_ see me, Joey?"

Swallowing hard, Joey thought for a moment, and decided to go with a lighthearted comment. "Are you asking about purely aesthetics, or are you asking me to psycho analyze you? Because I don't think I'm qualified to do that and I'll probably just project my daddy issues onto you." Wow, that was a lot darker than what he was aiming for, but Henry chuckled anyway.

"Well, the invitation still stands. Maybe if we finish before dark I can show you a few things. It's actually quite fun, it's a lot like dancing."

"I'm an awful dancer."

Henry stood up, smiling. "That's alright. I've been known to be a pretty good teacher." He stretched, and of course it lifted his sweater up, and of course Joey's eyes were immediately drawn to the patch of skin exposed right above his belt. He forced his eyes back to Henry's face, but he didn't seem to have noticed. "You should get some rest. If we have the time after training, I'll be tiring you out later tonight."

Joey absolutely did _not_ read that as an innuendo, and absolutely did _not_ feel his face grow hot at the thought. "Yeah, I will. And I'll remember to set an alarm this time too. I should've listened to Madeleine instead of passing out on the couch."

Henry eyed him curiously, doing that charming, slight head tilt of his that Joey was becoming so familiar with. "Madeleine? Is she the one in your band?" He asked.

"Well, it's not _my_ band." Joey replied immediately. "It's _our_ band. I do a bit more writing and instrument wise, but it's ours equally. It's nothing without her." He laughed. " _I'm_ nothing without her."

"Hmm." Was Henry's only reply, which almost made Joey laugh because he couldn't _not_ think of Geralt now. "Sleep." Henry reminded him. "And yes, set an alarm. I need you to show up to the reading. Geralt is nothing without his bard." Henry gave him one last smile before letting himself out before Joey could even be polite enough to open the door for him.

Joey just watching him go (it was quite a sight watching Henry Cavill leave) before grabbing his phone, setting an alarm, and plugging it in. At least he was able to make it to his tiny trailer bed before falling asleep again.

The reading went swimmingly, despite Henry and Joey laughing themselves to tears multiple times. Sure, Joey was dramatic, but Jaskier was taking that drama and dialing it up to one hundred, and it always seemed to make Henry laugh. And Joey was quickly learning that Henry's laugh was infectious, because the moment he started laughing, Joey started laughing. It never failed. It also worked the other way around, because just watching Henry change his normally very warm, welcome, and open facial expression to something so stoic made Joey start giggling half the time. Luckily they worked with some very, very patient people.

Once the reading was over, Henry casually reminded him about the fight choreography before disappearing to get ready for it. Joey honestly had no plans of going, he was still tired, wanted to play more of _The Witcher 3_ , and really needing to practice the lute some more, but as he was heading back to his trailer, he ran into Anya.

"And whereee do you think, you're going, Joey?" She asked with a smile.

"I'm trying to keep this quiet, but I have a very hot date tonight with a lute. Don't tell anyone." He joked.

She pouted. "Come hangout with Freya, Anna, and I!" She invited. "We're gonna watch Superman workout and gossip."

Joey raised an eyebrow at her. "What about any of that makes you think I would be interested?"

"Well, word on set is that you and Henry have already become besties, and it really is just an excuse to get together and socialize somewhere that's not out stuffy trailers."

"Riiight." Joey laughed. "And I'm supposed to believe that why?" He teased her.

"Because I have a boyfriend, Freya is so intimidated by Henry she can't look at him without blushing, and Anna is new and we want her to be comfortable, even if she won't be around for filming as long as us. I made the mistake of reading some comments online. I just want to make sure she knows she's wanted here and has our support." Anya was giving him puppy-dog eyes, and she really didn't even need to. Internet warriors were the worst in any fandom (There were people that didn't like Aragorn in LOTR? Who doesn't like Aragorn?) and what Anya was saying made perfect sense.

Joey sighed. "I would love to." He finally said.

Anya grinned, surprising him with a hug. "I knew you would be great. Now come on, hurry. If we get there and it's just Freya and Henry, you'll get to see her slowly lose years off her life expectancy if he talks to her."

Laughing, Joey replied "She does realize that she's going to have to eventually act along side him, right? Like... a lot of the time if we make it to season two?"

Anya swatted at him playfully and grabbed his arm to start leading him towards to warehouse that was used for training. "Of course she knows that. She's just a new, overwhelmed, and Henry is not only gorgeous but has picked up on the fact that he makes her nervous so he plays into it by laying on the charm extra thick."

Joey swallowed thickly, glad that Anya was so intent on dragging him behind her that she couldn't see his face. "Are you sure he's not just flirting with her?"

Anya looked over her shoulder for a moment, laughing. "Oh believe me, I already picked him about it. He said she's adorable, but he's interested in someone right now."

Joey exhaled slowly. It was somehow both incredibly relieving, and incredibly disappointing to know that Henry was just a major flirt. It did make him feel less awkward and self conscious, realizing that all the embarrassingly flirty things that had probably slipped from his mouth were probably just read as banter on Henry's part, but it was still a bit of a letdown to know that it _was_ just banter and nothing more. Joey had no plans of doing anything about his little developing crush, didn't even plan to dissect it and overthink it (not that he ever _planned_ to overthink, it just happened), so he guessed the information of knowing Henry was interested in someone helped more than anything.

When they entered the small warehouse, Freya and Anna were both sitting atop a stack of mats that weren't being used, chatting softly to each other. Henry was a couple of yards away in soft grey sweatpants and a black v neck that fit to his chest, shoulders, and back perfectly, and for the first time in his entire life, Joey wished that he was maybe just a little straighter. Henry was talking to the stunt choreographer animatedly, until the door closed behind them and he glanced in their direction. He gave a little awkward wave as he was being dragged by Anya over to the girls. Henry just gave him a grin, his facial expression clearly one of pity at him being claimed by Anya so quickly when everyone knew she was a whirlwind of a woman that loved to be all knowing and loved to be in charge. Then was a total sweetheart on top of that, so no one could even be mad about it.

Anya finally let go of him to hop up on the stack of stunt mats and immediately began a conversation with Freya, which gave Joey the opportunity to introduce himself to Anna. "You must be Anna Shaffer, our infamous Triss Marigold." He said with a smile, offering his hands to shake hers.

She took his hand with a cute, charming smile. "And you must be the bard. Joey Batey, right?"

"The one and only." Joey replied with a wink, bowing grandly. Anna laughed and Joey hopped up on the mats next to her as to not disturb Anya and Freya's conversation.

Joey and Anna quickly hit it off. She was such a friendly, free spirit who was so passionate about acting, travel, and her loved ones. Joey's heart completely melted at her talking about her boyfriend, and how she knew he was the one when one day she realized that every time she planned her next adventure, she couldn't imagine it without him. The hopeless romantic in Joey was already in love with their love, and he had just barely met Anna.

Joey quickly learned that Henry's training really was more of a social gathering more than anything. Once Henry started training, all their attention was drawn to him, but then a new topic of discussion came up and they were easily distracted. Joey was immensely glad that many of his friends throughout life had been women, and he was able to keep up. Even on the topic of makeup, seeing as he had worn it more times than the average guy. It had kind of slipped out, but Anya, Freya, and Anna didn't judge him at all, and instead started begging to see him in pictures wearing makeup and complimented him on breaking gender norms. Joey was... happy. He was relaxed, he was getting along with his cast mates great, even though he wouldn't be working directly with Anna or Freya, and his anxiety felt nonexistent for once and was giving him a break.

"Oh, _that's_ new." Anya gasped, taking Joey away from his own little world.

"What?" He asked, looking up from his phone. He noticed all three women were looking in the same direction, no, _gawking_ in the same direction. He followed their line of vision to see that Henry had taken his shirt off and tossed it to the side, paying them no mind at all while he focused on the fight choreographer, blocking a sword strike. Henry was 6'1" of solid, glistening muscle, and life was so, so un-fucking-fair. "I didn't realize we were watching the movie 300." He muttered, mostly to himself, but all the girls started laughing.

Freya sighed. "We could literally be doing _anything_ over here and he wouldn't even notice. He's so focused on perfecting this role and doing all his own stunts. I don't see how there's enough time in the day for him to do all he does. He must be exhausted."

"I can only imagine." Anna interjected. "I barely workout, only hit the treadmill often enough to keep the same weight, and I always feel like I'm dying."

Joey snorted. "Just blast Brittney Spears and space out while you're running." They all started laughing again, and Joey blushed because they had no idea he was being dead serious.

By the time Henry's training wrapped up, Anya, Freya, and Anna had all decided to go out for drinks. They invited Joey, and he was sorely tempted, but he really did need to practice on his lute at some point. He was so out of practice that he kept wanting to play it like a guitar, and it wasn't the same thing at all. They all hugged him before leaving, and made him promise to go out with them sometime. They walked off, while he was texting Madeleine back, and he sent the text and headed to the door himself as Henry was finishing his conversation with the choreographer.

"Thanks. And once again, sorry about being so distracted tonight. It's been a long day."

"It's alright, Henry. You're still doing amazing. I can already tell this is going to be the best fight scene of the show if you keep it up. I'll see you again tomorrow night."

He left, and Joey tried to follow suit undetected, but apparently Henry wanted him to suffer.

"Joey! You came."

He laughed, pocketing his phone, and trying to keep his eyes level with Henry's and not explore the miles of sweaty, rippling muscle ridiculously close to him. "As if Anya ever gave me a choice."

Henry grinned. "You were handling being dragged around a lot better than Kal does when he's on a leash. So... did you only come because she made you, or are you going to show me how bad at 'dancing' you are?"

Joey ran his hand through his hair anxiously. "I'll cut you a deal. I _have_ to practice on my lute tonight. It's not an option. But I also had to use a sword in one of my old roles... and the nerd in me has to admit, it's so much fun. So, I'll give you an hour."

"Whoa ho ho. Joey Batey, giving me an hour of his time? What did I do to deserve this honor?" Henry teased.

Rolling his eyes, Joey went over to the sword rack, reaching for the sword Henry had been using because it looked much cooler than the other swords. "You're making it look too easy so I'm obviously going to have to show you how it's done." He took the sword off of the rack and it almost slipped from his hand, being much heavier than he expected. "What the fuck? Is this Thor's hammer?"

Henry tossed his head back, laughing. He grabbed the sword from Joey with one hand, and handed him the one the choreographer had been using with the other one. "It's a real sword. I had... a small say so in this. I designed it myself, and wanted things to be as authentic as possible. Granted, it's not sharp enough to actually cut someone, it's still weighted the same."

"Well, I'm starting off great at showing you up." Joey muttered, blushing slightly.

Henry just smirked and spread his arms openly. "Show me what you got."

And how in the fuck was Joey even supposed to _breathe_ with him just standing there looking like that? Open, muscular arms, muscles glistening with sweat, and a smirk to end all smirks geared in his direction. It was torture. So, he decided to take it out on Henry. He raised his sword, a lot lighter than Henry's and tried to strike him with it.

Henry grinned and blocked it. "Looks like I'm going to have to teach you how to dance, Joey."

They kept it up for an hour, but time slipped away, and it melted into another hour. Joey's arms were so sore he was struggling to even lift his sword, and his cheeks ached from how much he had been laughing and smiling, and he couldn't even remember the last time he had had this much fun with someone he barely knew. It was probably when he first met Madeleine, and god, that had been _years_ ago. But Henry was hilarious, and had been mocking him the whole evening about how it's a good thing he had been cast as a bard, because he had no skill with a sword. And for Joey to have not picked one up in years, he was doing _fine_ , thank you very much. He hadn't been able to get anywhere near close to hitting Henry with his sword, but he had at least bit able to block some of Henry's strikes, despite Henry never actually letting his sword make contact with Joey's body.

He raised his sword one last time, about to _force_ himself to call it a night, when Henry crouched down and with one swift kick, swiped Joey's feet out from underneath him, causing him to fall flat on his back against the training mat with an undignified yelp. Henry laughed, his eyes alight with mirth and Joey was _not_ having that. He scrambled to his feet, and tackled Henry, surprised when the other man was actually taken so of guard that he toppled over with a huff, Joey on top of him. "Ha!" Joey exclaimed victoriously, his knees bracketing Henry's hips against the mat. He barely had time to gloat before Henry raised his eyebrows in challenge, immediately flipping them so that he had Joey beneath him, both his arms pinned by his wrists above his head against the mat. Joey felt his eyes widen and swallowed hard, begging whatever god would listen that all his blood would stay exactly where it was and decidedly _not_ flow south.

"I win." Henry boasted above him, all flashing white teeth and amused eyes.

"That's subjective." Joey muttered. "I have Henry Cavill on top of me, shirtless, pinning me down. Sounds like _I'm_ the winner here." And holy fuck, it just slipped out, could Joey not keep his mouth shut for five fucking seconds-

Henry gave him an odd look for a moment before laughing and getting off of Joey, helping him up once he was standing. He checked his watch and frowned. "Uh, sorry. We kind of went over the hour you promised me."

Joey checked his own phone for the time and hummed. "Well worth it. That was some of the most fun I've had in years." His internal freak out was ebbing away since Henry had actually found the comment about winning funny instead of creepy. God Joey just wanted to bury himself in a hole and never crawl out of it. "But I really do need to practice now. If I can even lift my lute."

Looking at Joey fondly, Henry chuckled. "Next time, I'll go easier on you."

"Oh, so there's going to be a next time?"

Henry bit his lip, almost shyly. "I sure hope so."

Joey smiled warmly, and felt a nervous fluttering his stomach at the comment. Butterflies. Oh, he was _so_ fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendly reminder that we know nothing about these people, all of this is fictitious, and any time I mention a joke about projection in a fic it's 110% because _I_ project on my own characters when I'm writing. 
> 
> I let my fics write themselves, so this may change, but right now it feels like the next chapter will be in Henry's POV. ;)


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